(NaturalNews) After 36 year-old Hanan Mahmoud Abdul Karim gave birth to a 10.5-pound boy by cesarean section in April, she began experiencing stomach pains. However, the pain had nothing to do with the usual ones associated with childbirth; in this case, the Jordanian woman's stomach actually began vibrating -- that's right, vibrating -- once she arrived home with her son.⁽¹⁾

The reason for the vibrations? While the cesarean section ultimately led to the birth of a healthy baby, there was a bizarre and frightening complication with the procedure. According to Karim and family members who witnessed the unusual sounds and movements originating in her stomach area, the doctor who performed the procedure in a private hospital in Jordan left his cell phone in her abdomen. Sadly, the private hospital where she gave birth apparently ignored the matter; Karim's mother said, "I brought her back to the hospital where she was treated but nothing was done for her."⁽¹⁾

X-ray reveals cell phone was left in woman's stomach, but some say she made the story up

It was then that Karim, now experiencing severe pain, was taken to a public hospital. An X-ray confirmed the presence of a foreign object in her abdomen; indeed, a cell phone was then removed.

The terrifying situation was made known to the Jordanian parliament, which led parliament member Salim Al Bataynah to call on the Jordanian government to resign. Bataynah said, "In countries which show respect to their nations, and following such scandals, governments usually resign. The parliament should show responsibility and be on the level of the case."⁽¹⁾

While some feel this situation is a horrible act that represents an increasing amount of carelessness in the medical profession, some have suggested that Karim made the story up. For example, Jordanian Health Ministry spokesman Hatem Al Azrae said that, although the ministry is following up on the situation, he feels that her story was "baseless and a fabricated one."(1)

Who would make something like that up? Never mind the fact that her stomach was buzzing, that she was in pain and a cell phone was extracted from her abdomen after her cesarean section. How could someone make up something that actually ended up proving to be a reality?

From surgical mats to needles, growing concern exists over medical items left in people during surgery

Sad as this story is, Karim isn't alone. Others before her have experienced serious medical neglect in the past, and many of the stories are so strange, it's almost hard to believe they actually occurred.

One person who knows all too well how the medical system can jeopardize a person's health is UK resident Michael O'Sullivan. He had a liver transplant in 2011, only to find out that a silicone surgical mat was accidentally left inside of his body. A spokesperson with Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge said, "We deeply regret the incident and have apologised to the patient."⁽²⁾

Elsewhere, in Germany, an elderly man who had surgery to treat his prostate cancer ended up having pains so severe that he could hardly sit. Why weren't his wounds healing? You guessed it... surgeons performing his surgery left equipment in his body. However, we're not talking about one item. Or two. Or even five. Let's try 16. You read correctly. Sixteen medical items, ranging from a needle to a piece of a surgical mask, were left in his body, something which took more surgeries to remove.⁽³⁾

Unfortunately, this sad phenomenon doesn't look as though it'll let up anytime soon. In fact, it's estimated that approximately 1,500 people undergoing surgery have medical objects accidentally left inside them.⁽¹⁾

"When there is significant bleeding and a sponge is placed in a patient, it can sometimes look indistinguishable from the tissue around it," said Dr. Steven DeJong, vice chair of the department of surgery at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois. "Unintentional retained sponges and instruments is a devastating complication for patients and is a national problem affecting every hospital in the country that performs invasive and surgical procedures."⁽⁴⁾

Sources:

(1) http://www.dailymail.co.uk

(2) http://www.bbc.com

(3) http://www.huffingtonpost.com

(4) http://www.sciencedaily.com